swim by Ellen Van Neerven

Sizzling hot concrete. Rainbow towels on half-dead grass. On a hot summer’s day, bodies of all shapes, colours and sizes journey to the public pool longing to do one thing…

swim.

Mununjali poet Ellen van Neerven is one of Australia’s finest and most awarded writers (Throat, Heat and Light). swim is their debut work for the stage.

Genderfluid protagonist E negotiates the space between the men’s and women’s change rooms. They flex in front of the cute pool attendant. As they step onto the diving blocks, the words of their Aunty come to them – and suddenly, the crystalline blue tiles give way to much deeper water. 

swim is delicate and tough, honest and achingly beautiful – and it muses on everything from the sovereignty of water to gender identity and the binding strength of culture and family. Told with cheek and heart by Baad/Yawuru performer Dani Sibosado (Bran Nue Dae), Griffin Theatre Company is proud to premiere this work on Gadigal Land at Carriageworks before it travels to Yugambeh Country (Gold Coast) for an exclusive season on Country at BLEACH* Festival. 

Don your goggles and get ready to hit the fast lane.